Operational Aspects of Oil and Gas Well Testing (Volume 1) (Handbook of Petroleum Exploration and Production, Volume 1)

I believe this book fills a need that engineers always had. It explains in a very clear way how to do procedures in field operations and how to resolve different situations that can appear in oil and gas well testing... I really recommend it to the oil industry. OPERATIONAL ASPECTS OF OIL AND GAS WELL TESTING......Page 4 Copyright Page......Page 5 PREFACE......Page 6 ACKOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 8 CONTENTS......Page 10 CHAPTER 1. PURPOSE OF THE BOOK......Page 32 CHAPTER 2. WELL TESTING RECOMMENDED PRACTICES......Page 36 CHAPTER 3. WELL TEST OBJECTIVES......Page 42 3.1 The Decision to Test......Page 43 3.2 Mobilising Test Equipment......Page 44 4.1 Breathing Apparatus......Page 50 4.2 Certification, Service Testing and Safety Review......Page 51 4.3 HAZOP Studies......Page 52 4.4 Dangerous Substances......Page 53 4.5 Daylight/High Visibility Working......Page 54 4.6 Explosives......Page 55 4.7 Fire Fighting Equipment......Page 59 4.8 Gas Detection......Page 60 4.9 Hydrogen Sulphide......Page 61 4.11 Restricted Access......Page 68 4.12 Safety Meetings......Page 69 4.14 Start of Testing Operations......Page 74 5.3 Boat Captain (Standby Vessel)......Page 76 5.8 Drilling Engineer......Page 77 5.11 Electric Wireline Engineer......Page 78 5.17 Production Testing Crew......Page 79 5.22 Test Engineer......Page 80 5.23 Tool Pusher / OIM......Page 81 6.1 Boundaries......Page 82 6.4 Permeability......Page 83 6.6 Samples......Page 84 6.7 Zonal Contribution......Page 86 CHAPTER 7. TEST DESIGN......Page 88 7.1 Single Rate Oil Well Testing......Page 89 7.2 Gas Well Tests......Page 90 7.4 Artificial Lift Performance Testing......Page 93 7.7 Slug or Closed ChamberTesting......Page 94 7.8 Injectivity Testing......Page 95 7.10 Reservoir Limit Tests and Extended Well Tests......Page 96 7.11 High Pressure High Temperature Testing (HP/HT)......Page 97 7.13 The Use of Tubing or Drill Pipe for the Test String......Page 98 7.15 Well Preparation......Page 100 7.17 Well Test Planning Considerations / Checklist......Page 101 8.2 Formation Pressure......Page 102 8.3 Formation Temperature......Page 103 8.7 Skin Damage......Page 104 CHAPTER 9. PERFORATING......Page 106 9.2 Through Tubing Perforation......Page 107 9.3 Tubing Conveyed Perforation......Page 108 9.4 Tubing Conveyed Perforating (TCP) Firing Heads......Page 109 CHAPTER 10. DOWNHOLE TEST EQUIPMENT......Page 118 10.1 DST (Drill Stem Test) Concepts......Page 119 10.3 Gauge (Bundle) Carriers......Page 130 10.7 Perforated Joint......Page 131 10.8 Packers......Page 132 10.9 Tubing Test Valve......Page 133 10.13 Tester (Downhole Shut In) Valves......Page 134 10.14 Surface Read Out (SRO) Subs......Page 135 10.16 Drill Collars......Page 137 10.18 Reverse Circulation Valves......Page 138 10.20 Tubing / Drill Pipe Connections......Page 139 10.21 IRIS......Page 140 11.1 Mechanical Gauges......Page 148 11.3 Capacitance Transducer Gauges......Page 149 11.5 Sapphire Crystal Transducer......Page 150 11.7 Memory Gauge Battery Packs......Page 151 11.10 Speciality Gauges......Page 152 11.11 Calibration of Gauges......Page 153 12.1 Sub Sea Test Tree ( SSTT)......Page 154 12.2 Associated Sub Sea Equipment......Page 158 12.4 Sub Sea Test Tree Disconnect......Page 161 13.1 Surface Test Tree (Flowhead)......Page 164 13.2 Coflexip Hoses......Page 165 13.3 Rig Permanent Pipework......Page 166 13.5 Surface Temporary Piping......Page 170 13.7 Sand Detection Equipment......Page 171 13.9 Choke manifold......Page 173 13.11 Horizontal Separator......Page 179 13.13 Metering......Page 183 13.15 Gauge Tank......Page 189 13.19 Oil Diverter Manifold......Page 190 13.21 Standard Oil Burners......Page 193 13.22 Green Burners......Page 194 13.23 Equipment Hook Up and Location......Page 198 13.24 Flare Lines......Page 199 13.25 Vent Lines......Page 200 13.27 Emergency Shutdown Systems......Page 201 14.1 Equipment Checking......Page 204 14.2 Operational Considerations for Equipment Layout......Page 205 14.4 Pressure Testing......Page 207 14.6 Running and Setting the Packer......Page 208 14.8 Separator Operations......Page 209 14.9 Production Problems......Page 211 14.10 Well Control......Page 220 CHAPTER 15. RESERVOIR FLUID BEHAVIOUR & SAMPLING OPERATIONS......Page 222 15.1 Reservoir Fluid Behaviour......Page 223 15.2 Sampling Programmes......Page 226 15.3 Stable Flow......Page 228 15.6 Slickline Sampling......Page 229 15.8 Test Tool Sampling......Page 230 15.9 Reverse Circulation Sampling......Page 231 15.10 Surface Sampling Points......Page 232 15.11 Monophasic Surface Sampling......Page 233 15.12 Recombination Sampling......Page 234 15.13 Labelling of Samples......Page 235 15.14 Storage and Disposal of Samples......Page 236 16.1 Gas Measurements and Analysis......Page 238 16.2 Oil Measurements and Analysis......Page 239 16.3 Water Measurements and Analysis......Page 240 17.1 Daily Reporting From The Wellsite......Page 242 17.2 Final Well Test Report......Page 244 18.1 Coiled Tubing Equipment......Page 246 18.2 Uses of Coil Tubing......Page 248 18.3 Typical Coil Tubing Operating Procedures......Page 250 18.4 Uses of Nitrogen......Page 251 18.5 Uses of the Coil Tubing Nitrogen Combination......Page 255 19.2 Safety......Page 258 19.3 Stimulation by Acid......Page 259 19.4 Stimulation by Fraccing......Page 260 Appendix A. Radius of Investigation Calculation......Page 266 Appendix B. Well Test Planning Considerations – Check List......Page 268 Appendix C. Choke Performance Equations......Page 277 Appendix D. Separator Calculations......Page 279 Appendix E. Selection of DST Tubulars......Page 281 Appendix F. Estimation of Pressure Loss From Tubing Flow......Page 282 Appendix G. Temperature Effects on Tubulars......Page 284 Appendix H. Pressure Effects on Tubulars......Page 285 Appendix I. Example – Detailed Well Test Programme......Page 289 Appendix J. Testing & Related Services Contractors Web Sites......Page 344 Appendix K. Simulator Products......Page 345 INDEX......Page 348 Well Testing is recognised by many operating oil and gas companies to be the most hazardous operation they routinely undertake. Therefore, it is of great importance that such operations are extremely well planned and executed.

This handbook covers all the major "Operational Aspects of Oil and Gas Well Testing" and uses a structured approach to guide the reader through the steps required to safely and effectively plan a well test operation under just about any circumstances world wide.

Safety procedures and well testing recommended practices are rigorously addressed in this book, as are the responsibilities of those persons involved in well testing operations.

Perforating equipment, drill stem test equipment and bottom hole pressure gauges are discussed in detail in the book. There is also a very valuable section on sub sea equipment, an area often not well understood even by experienced engineers who may have been primarily involved with land or jackup rigs.

A major part of the book is the detailed coverage of the equipment and instrumentation that makes up a surface well testing package. It also covers operational and testing related problems such as, hydrates, wax and sand, and offers the reader some possible solutions.

There are useful chapters on sampling, onsite chemistry, coil tubing and nitrogen operations and basic stimulation as they relate to well testing.

Finally there is an extensive section of appendices covering useful engineering calculations and there is a complete example of a detailed well testing programme.


Annotation Well Testing is recognised by many operating oil and gas companies to be the most hazardous operation they routinely undertake. Therefore, it is of great importance that such operations are extremely well planned and executed. This handbook covers all the major "Operational Aspects of Oil and Gas Well Testing" and uses a structured approach to guide the reader through the steps required to safely and effectively plan a well test operation under just about any circumstances world wide. Safety procedures and well testing recommended practices are rigorously addressed in this book, as are the responsibilities of those persons involved in well testing operations. Perforating equipment, drill stem test equipment and bottom hole pressure gauges are discussed in detail in the book. There is also a very valuable section on sub sea equipment, an area often not well understood even by experienced engineers who may have been primarily involved with land or jackup rigs. A major part of the book is the detailed coverage of the equipment and instrumentation that makes up a surface well testing package. It also covers operational and testing related problems such as, hydrates, wax and sand, and offers the reader some possible solutions. There are useful chapters on sampling, onsite chemistry, coil tubing and nitrogen operations and basic stimulation as they relate to well testing. Finally there is an extensive section of appendices covering useful engineering calculations and there is a complete example of a detailed well testing programme.